BLM planning prescribed fires near north Eagle Lake in Lassen County
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SUSANVILLE, Calif. – Fire and fuels management crews from the Bureau of Land Management will conduct prescribed fire projects to reduce hazardous fuels and improve wildlife habitat near Eagle Lake in Lassen County. These projects will be implemented when weather permits, starting as soon as October 5, and throughout the rest of the month.
“We will conduct these projects in strict compliance with our burn plans, and only when weather allows for safe and successful burning,” said Emily Ryan, manager of the BLM’s Eagle Lake Field Office in Susanville.
This carefully managed broadcast fire will be conducted on up to 329 acres across five separate areas north of Eagle Lake to reduce understory and hazardous fuels, reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire and provide protection for the community and improve firefighter safety in the event of a wildfire. In addition, this project will reintroduce fire into the ecosystem to create wildlife habitat diversity. Smoke from these burns may be visible to residents at the north shore of Eagle Lake and the Willow Creek Valley, and to motorists on State Route 139.
Projects such as these are part of the BLM’s fuels management program across the West that conducts a wide variety of active management vegetation treatments using mechanical, biological, and chemical tools, and prescribed fire. The program includes creating fuel breaks to protect resources and provide safe access for firefighters, reducing fuel loads by removing trees, shrubs, pinon-juniper and invasive species, reducing fire risk near communities and infrastructure, targeted grazing, and using herbicide plus seeding to restore rangelands and break the fire-cheatgrass cycle.
More information is available by contacting the BLM Eagle Lake Field Office at 530-257-0456.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.